You don't have to be a doctor to save lives...just an advocate with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The Minnesota Advocacy Beat is a resource for those of you working hard to fight heart disease and stroke across MN and the country. Keep up-to-date on state policy issues, check out what is going on in the media and let us know what you are doing as a You’re the Cure advocate!

Throughout the year, our blog will feature AHA volunteer stories of survival and hope.
We know there are thousands of stories like these - thats why we want to say “Thanks” to all of you for giving your time and sharing your lives with us.
You can’t spell CURE without U! Thank you for all you do to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. YOU’RE THE CURE!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tonight, the President will address Congress and the American people with his State of the Union address- and we want to invite you to watch along with the AHA and join us for a real-time, online chat!

While we know it is likely that the President will focus on the nation's struggling economy, the American Heart Association will also be listening closely for mentions of the issues facing our nation's health- many of which you have been actively advocating for on behalf of heart disease and stroke patients and those at risk. So tune-in and log-on! Participating is easy!

The State of the Union is a chance for the President to review the accomplishments of the past year and to set the stage for the year to come- so as informed health advocates, it is important that we all tune-in. And by being part of the AHA's online chat, you can not only watch the speech, but be part of the discussion.

Monday, January 25, 2010

iPhone application, called "Pocket First Aid & CPR," is from Jive Media

"That gave me confidence to treat my wounds properly," Woolley says(CNN) -- Alone in the darkness beneath layers of rubble, Dan Woolley felt blood streaming from his head and leg.

Then he remembered -- he had an app for that.

Woolley, an aid worker, husband, and father of two boys, followed instructions on his cell phone to survive the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

"I had an app that had pre-downloaded all this information about treating wounds. So I looked up excessive bleeding and I looked up compound fracture," Woolley told CNN.

The application on his iPhone is filled with information about first aid and CPR from the American Heart Association. "So I knew I wasn't making mistakes," Woolley said. "That gave me confidence to treat my wounds properly."

Trapped in the ruins of the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, he used his shirt to bandage his leg, and tied his belt around the wound. To stop the bleeding on his head, he firmly pressed a sock to it.

Concerned he might have been experiencing shock, Woolley used the app to look up what to do. It warned him not to sleep. So he set his phone alarm to go off every 20 minutes.

Once the battery got down to less than 20 percent of its power, Woolley turned it off. By then, he says, he had trained his body not to sleep for long periods, drifting off only to wake up within minutes.

With his injuries tended to, he wrote a note to his family in his journal: "I was in a big accident, an earthquake. Don't be upset at God. He always provides for his children even in hard times. I'm still praying that God will get me out, but he may not. But even so he will always take care of you."

His colleague David Hames has not been found. The two had been standing together when the earthquake struck and the Hotel Montana crumbled. They were making a film about poverty in Haiti and had just gotten back to the hotel, heading to the elevator in the lobby.

"Then all of a sudden just all craziness broke loose," Woolley said. "Convulsions of the ground around us, the walls started rippling and then falling on us. [Hames] yelled out, 'I think it's an earthquake!' I looked for someplace safe to jump to and there was no safe place."

When the shaking stopped, Woolley couldn't see. And his friend was not with him.

He turned on the focus light of a camera he was wearing around his neck, but he didn't have his glasses. "So I actually took some pictures and would look at the back of the lens of the camera and saw in one of those pictures the elevator that I ended up hobbling over to. And that became my safe place."

Once in the elevator, he used the app -- called "Pocket First Aid & CPR" from Jive Media -- to tend to his injuries. Woolley said his phone "was like a high-tech version of a Swiss Army knife that enabled me to treat my own injuries, track time, stay awake and stay alive."

Woolley heard voices of some other people trapped nearby, and they spoke with each other."About a day, maybe day and a half in, we heard rescuers, and they had a list of our names at that point, because they were able to talk to one of the people we were talking with. And so then it seemed like, OK, this is going to happen, we're actually going to get rescued.

"But then it just took a long time and there were times where I didn't hear anything or I'd hear drilling in a far part of the building and just didn't get any reassurance they were still coming for me," Woolley said.

"The scene outside was a lot more chaotic and less simple than I imagined in my head. ... But eventually they came for me and did an amazing rescue."

Back home now in Colorado Springs with his wife Christina and children Josh, 6, and Nathan, 3, Woolley said he's grateful to God for getting him through the ordeal.

"Happiness is a morning with ... family, filled with Legos, kissing boo-boos and normalcy."

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Minnesota Vikings and the American Heart Association had another successful year bringing health messages and tools to kids with events throughout the fall reminding kids to live heart healthy and get 60 minutes of physical activity in each day. Be on the look out for bus shelter posters highlighting our partnership and the Play60 Challenge!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Each day Minnesota Public Radio poses a question to its listeners and readers. They read the comments on air throughout the day.

Today's question is: What more should Minnesota do to prevent smoking?Posted at 5:00 AM on January 19, 2010 by Eric Ringham (5 Comments) Filed under: Health

The American Lung Association gave Minnesota a mixed grade last week for its anti-smoking efforts. About 23 percent of the state's high school students smoke, which is more than the national average. What more should Minnesota do to prevent smoking? This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the debate around tobacco control in Minnesota with an important audience.

What You Can Do .Go to MPR and post a comment. Encourage your networks of people to also weigh in

The best way to reduce youth smoking is to raise the price of tobacco products. Significantly raising the tax on tobacco products will prevent tens of thousands of Minnesota's kids from becoming addicted to cigarettes and other tobacco products. .

Do something about tobacco products designed to appeal to kids. Tobacco products that come in flavors like peach, chocolate, grape, strawberry and watermelon are targeting our kids. .

Regulate e-cigarettes. They are being sold in malls and convenience stores without being regulated. Minors can buy these products..

Make reducing tobacco use a public health priority. Tobacco continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Minnesota. It is not surprising when you consider that the tobacco industry continues to spend millions of dollars advertising their products in Minnesota. We cannot ignore this problem and hope that it goes away. .

Make more spaces smoke-free. For example, casinos are not smoke-free. Those are workplaces and public spaces where thousands of people continue to be exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke. .

Support tobacco users who want to quit with free programs like QUITPLAN Services.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

DALLAS— The American Heart Association supports National Influenza Vaccination Week, Jan. 10-16, an effort led by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated against H1N1. Influenza of all types can pose greater dangers for people with heart failure or with any cardiovascular disease. Like seasonal flu, H1N1 (“swine” flu) may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

The American Heart Association recommends each year that all heart disease patients get flu shots and they should do so by injection – not the live, attenuated vaccine given as a nasal spray. The live vaccine is not approved for use by cardiovascular disease patients.

There is a vaccine available for H1N1 flu in addition to the vaccine for seasonal flu.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has information about the H1N1 flu, its treatment, who should be vaccinated, and how to keep from spreading it at www.flu.gov.

There is treatment for the flu, which you can get from your doctor. Antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

Helpful tips for keeping yourself and others healthy:Try to avoid close contact with sick people.If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

The H1N1 flu is a serious disease. The CDC estimates that between mid-April and November 14, 2009, 47 million people in the United States were infected with the 2009 H1N1 flu, more than 200,000 people were hospitalized, and over 9,800 people died. For more on H1N1 flu and National Influenza Vaccination Week, visit www.flu.gov

Monday, January 11, 2010

On Friday Jan. 8th, eleven AHA advocates met with Rep. Pat Garofalo (pictured in striped shirt) to discuss the future of physical education in Minnesota schools. Rep. Garofalo is committed to help identify the opportunities for moving the ball forward on physical education this legislative session.

Advocates included physical education teachers from Farmington and Lakeville schools, and members of the school wellness committee for the Farmington School District.

Thanks to North Trail Elementary physical education teacher, Jack Olwell, for organizing the meeting and for his wealth of knowledge on the many benefits of physical education. Together, the passion and knowledge of this group of constituents helped to ensure that Rep. Garofalo will go to bat for physical education in the 2010 session.

Thanks to all who came out to North Trail Elementary School in Farmington on a chilly Friday evening to make the case!

Monday, January 4, 2010

The Minnesota Stroke Partnership's EMS Stroke Task Force has developed a unique training course focused on the role of EMTs and paramedics in stroke diagnosis and treatment. The EMS Response to Stroke continuing education course will improve EMS providers' knowledge of current practices for recognition and treatment of stroke signs and symptoms in patients.

Craig has been working in EMS for over 20 years. His experience ranges from rural communities to high volume urban communities. He also spent time working as a flight medic. He has been providing education to EMS provider throughout his entire career in EMS. In an effort to improve the quality of education he was providing, he completed a Masters program in Experiential Education.

Kari is a certified Neuroscience Nurse with the Stroke & Neurosciences Program at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minnesota. She has 20 years of experience working with stroke patients from bedside nursing to various administrative and clinical roles. Kari provides education & support for hospital staff, patients, families and community partners. Kari obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Minnesota StateUniversity- Mankato and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of Minnesota.

Please visit the resources page at http://www.mnstrokepartnership.org/ to access the course. The 1 hour presentation video must be viewed on a high-speed internet connection using Internet Explorer.

If you have any questions about this online training opportunity, please contact Dr. Jim Peacock at the address below:

You're the Cure

The American Heart Association is always looking for committed and active advocates -- like you-- to join our You're the Cure advocacy network. This group of volunteers contacts their elected officials to help pass important heart-healthy policies in their state and across the nation.